Communications & New Media June 2018 I Vol. 32 No. 6 SPECIAL TRAVEL & INTERNATIONAL ISSUE How wellness is changing the travel industry Weathering a natural disaster crisis Special report: a look at the ‘New South’ Hospitality harnesses the power of paid social Travel and the transformation economy Hoteliers score with mobile bookings June 2018 | www.odwyerpr.com Social media in the era of 5G PR Why multicultural PR isn’t just about race Vol. 32. No. 6 June 2018 EDITORIAL BUILDING PR STRATEGIES ON RELATIONSHIPS In a fast-moving world, the human 6 19 touch is more important than ever. JOURNOS SEE MEDIA TRUST MAKING A COMEBACK TRAVEL AND THE TRANS- Public trust in journalism might be FORMATION ECONOMY on the rise, according to a survey. 8 Travelers are moving from vacations 20 to transformative experiences. WEATHERING THE 12 STORM OF A NATURAL DISASTER PROFILES OF TRAVEL & Communications preparedness is 9 TOURISM FIRMS key to riding out the unexpected. 22 RANKINGS OF TRAVEL HOW HOTELS CAN USE & TOURISM FIRMS PAID SOCIAL’S POWER 33 Marketers leverage paid social campaigns to build hotel business. 10 THE GREATER GOALS OF MULTICULTURAL PR To move beyond race and ethnicity, A LOOK AT THE ‘NEW 34 focus your strategies on inclusion. SOUTH’ How an economic powerhouse INTERNAL STRATEGIES TO keeps the old Southern charm. 12 RESTORE EMPLOYEE TRUST 20WWW.ODWYERPR.COM To build trust from the C-suite down, Daily, up-to-the-minute PR news 36 it takes effective communication. HOW WELLNESS IS CHANGING TRAVEL Wellness experiences are trans- INNOVATION IN GLOBAL forming the travel industry. 14 HEALTH MARKETS The guidelines for ethical comms. 37 aren’t necessarily the same globally. HAS DIGITAL CHANGED TRAVEL PR? PEOPLE IN PR Many travel clients remain skepti- 15 cal of digital media’s benefits. 37 HOTEL BOOKINGS ARE PROFILES OF GOING MOBILE INTERNATIONAL FIRMS How to use mobile technology to 38 EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2018 bring guests to a property. 16 WASHINGTON REPORT January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s Guide February: Environmental & P.A. A SHIFT IN March: Food & Beverage STORYTELLING 44 April: Broadcast & Social Media Travel and hospitality marketers May: PR Firm Rankings can learn from emerging trends. 17 June: Travel & Global columns July: 50th Anniversary Special PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT August: Financial/I.R. SOCIAL MEDIA IN Fraser Seitel THE ERA OF 5G 42 September: Beauty & Fashion An up-close glimpse at the pres- FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT October: Healthcare & Medical ent and future of social media. 18 Richard Goldstein November: High-Tech 43 December: Entertainment & Sports ADVERTISERS 5WPR .............................................................3 NJF ......................................Inside front cover rbb Communications .....................................8 GLOBALHealthPR .......................................35 Omega World Travel ...................................27 WEILL ..........................................................21 Hawkins International PR ...............................5 Padilla ..........................................................11 The Zimmerman Agency .............................13 Lou Hammond Group ....................................7 Peppercomm .................................Back cover O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 a year ($7.00 for a single issue) by the J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc., 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. (212) 679-2471; fax: (212) 683-2750. Periodical postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to O’Dwyer’s, 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. O’Dwyer’s PR Report ISSN: 1931-8316. Published monthly. EDITORIAL Trade debate is party politics in action ne reason I seldom engage in political discussions online anymore is due to the fact that people are so committed to their tribes that party loyalty now supersedes the greater EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ovalue that can be found in developing and expressing coherent viewpoints. The drama Kevin McCauley and subsequent debate surrounding Trump’s tariffs plan underscores this dilemma perfectly. [email protected] Since when did the left become the party of free-trade orthodoxy? Liberals have collectively derided the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and similarly recognized the free-trade agreements be- PUBLISHER fore it — GATT, NAFTA, etc. — as emblematic of a playing field tilted against U.S. workers to John O’Dwyer the benefit of corporate profits. [email protected] Defending America’s manufacturing sector and the communities that have been de-indus- trialized, displaced and decimated by globalization and the unchecked mercantilism of foreign free-trade agreements was a sine qua non of Bernie Sanders’ platform. Has everyone forgotten SENIOR EDITOR this? Jon Gingerich I ask because there’s not a lot of daylight between what rank and file liberals are now saying [email protected] about Trump’s tariff plan and arguments used by free-market Republicans for ages, and listen- ASSOCIATE EDITOR ing to these hilarious T. Boone Pickens repudiations of Trump’s policy as an attack on business Steve Barnes and the markets has left me scratching my head [email protected] I’m convinced that many liberals are either confused about basic economics, or — the more likely scenario — they’re too preoccupied playing knee-jerk politics to recognize they’re con- CONTRIBUTING EDITORS tradicting themselves when they oppose a measure that bucks traditional Republican views Fraser Seitel simply because the guy pulling the lever is a President they despise. Politics, right? Richard Goldstein If it’s any consolation, the right is doing the same thing: a recent poll found that 70 percent of conservative voters — who’ve traditionally seen protectionist policies on tariffs as barriers EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS to corporate profits and a high GDP — now say they favor Trump’s tariffs plan, which is a & RESEARCH 180-degree contradiction from what they were saying during Bush II, when our trade deficit Jane Landers peaked. Everyone needs to make up their minds. Melissa Webell Threading the needle on this contentious issue has revealed a greater problem underwriting our divisive political climate: everyone is playing party politics these days and no one seems interested in thinking critically for the sake of discovering meaning and truth in a rational, Advertising Sales: John O’Dwyer coherent worldview. If Republican voters are now championing Trump’s attacks on foreign [email protected] competition at a cost to their long-standing support for free trade — that is, if their views on trade have now become a proxy for an anti-immigration stance — it’s only fitting that Dem- ocrats have failed to articulate a sensible counter narrative for the rust-belt and labor union O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 base it claims to support. a year ($7.00 a single issue) by the Notice this confusion isn’t quite so pronounced in Washington, and that’s why GOP lead- J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. ership (Ryan, Flake, Hatch, Graham and about 110 other Republican members of Congress) 271 Madison Ave., #600 are now are rolling out legislation in an attempt to nullify Trump’s plan, because they view New York, NY 10016. unfettered trade agreements as a windfall for the economy and U.S. corporations. That’s also (212) 679-2471 Fax: (212) 683-2750. the reason why many Democratic leaders from red states (such as Ohio’s Sherrod Brown) have joined Schumer, Casey, Warren et al. in manking a begrudging about-face in recent weeks, ad- © Copyright 2018 J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. mitting that Trump’s tariffs plan is a step in the right direction in addressing the world’s largest OTHER PUBLICATIONS: trade deficit while returning our priorities to the manufacturing base at home. It’s a sad day when someone you’re politically opposed to does something you like. www.odwyerpr.com For the record: there’s a lot to criticize about Trump’s tariffs. For one, they’re haphazard; put- Breaking news, commentary, useful data- ting a lid on unregulated imports from China, which has been engaged in the unfair practice bases and more. of dumping cheap products stateside whose cost is subsidized by the Chinese government and O’Dwyer’s Newsletter often bear prices far below their U.S. value, doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Europe, Canada and A four-page weekly with general PR Mexico? Not so much. Then there’s the trademark boardroom braggadocio stunts Trump has news, media appointments and placement pulled to gain leverage on these deals, sowing bad faith and distrust with some of our closest opportunities. allies in the process, which could result in corresponding tit-for-tat tariffs on U.S. goods and a broader trade war. Those steel tariffs aren’t going to do much for U.S. steel and aluminum O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms workers anyway. Oh, and Trump imposed them under a seldom-used section of the Trade Listings of more than 1,250 PR firms throughout the U.S. and abroad. Expansion Act, which allows a sitting President to impose tariffs on the grounds of national security, which is ludicrous. O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide These criticisms are all fair game. But when you begin engaging in ad hoc, navel-gazing ar- Products and services for the PR industry guments that appropriate your political opponent’s positions, the only audience you’re going in 50 categories. to find for these grievances are those who are just as confused as you. jobs.odwyerpr.com O’Dwyer’s online job center has help wanted ads and hosts resume postings. —Jon Gingerich 6 JUNE 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM REPORT Journos believe media trust is making a comback A perceived public trust in journalism is on the rise, according to historic route — press releases — as 63 per- cent said this is how they prefer interacting an annual media survey conducted by Cision. with PR pros, and nearly half (44 percent) By Jon Gingerich said they found these announcements to be the most trustworthy source of brand-re- espite the constant chaos encircling subscriptions, by contrast, leapt 46 percent lated information, compared to only 30 today’s media world, perceived public in 2017).